Apartments Damaged By Fire

Residents of the Sandstone Apartments in Edwards could return to their water-damaged home later this week following a Tuesday blaze that destroyed one of the building's eight units.

The early evening fire, which began in the kitchen of the burned unit, left the remaining seven apartments with moderate water damage and some smoke damage, said West Hinds Volunteer Fire Department Chief Willie Earl Taylor.

American Red Cross staff in Jackson has provided three days' lodging for the displaced residents. One unit in the building on Wallace Drive near the I-20 Frontage Road wasn't occupied.

"We don't know exactly what happened," said Sandstone Apartments manager Gloria Jones. "Hopefully, before the three days are up, we can get them back into the apartments."

The burned apartment can't be quickly repaired, she said, "but hopefully we can place that family in the one available unit."

Taylor said he was called to the fire about 6:15 p.m. He and volunteers, including several from Bolton, arrived to find one unit fully engulfed. "We contained it to the one apartment" located on the top floor, he said.

The heavy water damage to walls and ceilings means residents can't immediately return to the building, he said.

"I had them (Entergy crews) pull all the meters so that no one would stay there last night," Taylor said Wednesday.

The fire emanated from the burned unit's kitchen, Taylor said, but the exact cause isn't known.

No residents or firefighters were injured, he said. "That was a blessing," Taylor said.

Jones said the building is insured. Neither she nor Taylor had an estimate of damages.

But not all residents carried insurance on their belongings. That number includes Latasha Alexander, who was relaxing with her two children in front of the television when they suddenly smelled smoke.

"I thought something was burning," said Alexander, 30, a two-year resident. "My son jumped up and went to the door, and he said there was smoke coming from the building."

She said she and her children, ages 10 and 9, scurried from their second-floor apartment after gathering a few clothes. Another apartment on their floor was burning, she said.

"I was exhausted," she said. "I was just glad that no one had gotten hurt."

Red Cross is providing meals and rooms for those displaced at the Relax Inn in Edwards, a small town of about 1,300. They're also being given clothing and emotional support, said Red Cross spokeswoman Tamica Smith-Jeuitt.

Jones said many of the building's residents will need help in the aftermath.

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